1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to collapsible shade structures and specifically to collapsible or folding tents. The shade structure of the present invention provides an integral structure capable of supporting itself to act as a shelter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art collapsible shade structures have suffered from several drawbacks. One drawback with such collapsible shade structures is the difficulty associated with erecting and stably supporting such structures. Another drawback associated with these prior art collapsible shade structures is that the construction of such structures tend to be complicated, bulky and are therefore troublesome to fold away and to store.
A further drawback of such prior art collapsible shade structures is that the structure itself tends to be weak even after it has been erected, and often requires other means to provide the required structural integrity. An example of such a structure is U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,463, which discloses a flexible and coilable frame member which allows for the structure to be easily collapsed and stored when not in use. The frame member is secured to the fabric of the structure and is held in a "figure-eight" configuration with the cross-over of the figure-eight as the apex of the structure and the loops of the figure-eight extending downwardly therefrom to provide support for the structure. Since the cross-over of the figure-eight frame member can only effectively support two of the side panels, tie members are provided at the lower corners of the structure and are located so as to tension and support the other two side panels. The tie members are therefore required to stabilize the frame and to hold the frame and the remainder of the structure upright because the frame member alone cannot accomplish this.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 3,960,161, which discloses a portable structure similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,463, in which the structure is supported by a flexible coilable frame member secured to the fabric. The structure in U.S. Pat. No. 3,960,161 also requires tie members at the lower corners of the structure to provide support and stability in use, and to tension the fabric by pulling downwardly and outwardly from the frame member.
The various existing collapsible shade structures have not been successful in providing a simple structure which is easy to erect and may be folded to a compact size for ease of storage, in which the structure when erected is capable of stably supporting itself. The present invention, therefore, provides for an improvement over the prior art collapsible shade structures and provides a collapsible shade structure with a novel frame structure in which the structure when erected is capable of stably supporting itself, and which also allows the collapsible shade structure to be of simple construction, to be easily erected and easily folded to a compact size to facilitate ease of storage.